Combined seesaw and swing



y 1941- J. J. CARTER 2,240,981

. COMBINED SEESAW AND SWING Fi1 ed June 3', 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Invenior Q ffCa/"f I B A iiomeys May-6,1941. I J.VJ. CARTER 2,240,981

. COMBINED S EESAW AND SWING May 6, 1941. v J, J 1 2,240,981

\ COMBINED SEESAW AND SWING Filed June 5, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet s InventorA itomeys May 6, 1941.

J. J. CARTER COMBINED SEESAW AND SWING Filed June 3, 1959 4 SheetsSheet4 Inventor ff Car/er A iiorneys Patented May 6,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,240,981 4 oomman seesaw AND s'wmo JesseJames Carter, Bowling Green, Ky. Application June 3, 1939, Serial No.277,287

(or. era-54) 7 Claims.

I My invention relates to a combined seesaw and swing especially adaptedfor installation and use inplaygrounds, such as school yards, theinvention contemplating an arrangement in which the swing portionthereof may be operated in conjunction with or separate from the seesawportion thereof, and an important object of my invention is to provide asimple and emcient ar- Figure 1 is a general side elevational view of.

. the embodiment.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof. 4

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical sec tional view takenthrough Figure 1 approximate- 1y on the line 3-4 and looking toward theright in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken approximatelycentrally through Figure 1 at one side of the middle member of thedevice.

, Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the swingsupports.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the middle portion of theseesaw board.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 generally designatesa suitable base, which in the case of a permanent installation, may be aconcrete or other suitable material platform, the base having risingfrom the opposite end portions thereof the transversely spaced pipesockets 6, 6, and 6', 6', respectively, which are secured in a suitablemanner to the base 6. Having their lower ends seated in these socketsare the respective standards I, I and 8, I which have respectivelyT-couplings 9, 9 and III, III threaded on the upper ends thereof. Intothe upper end of the'standard portion of the con-- plings mentioned arethreaded the vertical arms llv of the laterally projecting pairs of armsl2,

l2 and i2, I! which are upturned at their later-' ally outward ends asshown. Extending from the horizontal arms of the T-couplings are guyrods or pipes l4, II which are parallel and ex- 9 and l0, l0 and havedepending flanges l8 through which are journaled the horizontaltransverse laterally extending arms I9, of the central member which isgenerally designated 2| and which has the depending U-shaped portion 22at its center, the arms of which are seated in notches 23, 24 cut in thethe opposite sides of the middle of the seesaw board 25, as indicated inFigures 2, 4 and 6, The laterally outward terminals of the arms l9 and,20 of the central member 2| are threaded in. elbow coup1ings26, 21 fromwhich depend the central member arms 28, 28 which terminate at theirlower ends in laterally outwardly projecting pintles 30, 3| (see Figure4), the outer ends 'of these pintles being threaded and providedwithrespective nuts 32 tend longitudinally and have the middle portion l4, Hwhich are elevated above the fittings 9,

and 33 to retain on the pintles the eyes 34, 35 on the longitudinallyinward ends of the pairs of connecting rods 36, 31 and 38, 39 at theopposite sides of the swing. The longitudinally outward ends of thevarious connecting rods have eyes 40 which are engaged through eyes 4|depending from the bottom of the various swing seats at the laterallyinward side thereof, the eyes 4| being formed on the lower ends of thelongitudinally inward. legs 42 of thelaterally inward support 43 of eachswing, each swing being composed of an inverted hairpin-shaped supportorsuspension arrangement comprising the laterallyinward member 43 andthe laterally outward similar member 44. The swing consists of aseat 45in the form. of a plate or board, an inclined back 48 rising fromthe'rear end of a plate 45, sides 41 and 48 located inwardly of thelateral edges of the plate 45 with the suspension members 42 and 44located laterally outwardly of the said sides 41 and 48, with armrests49 on the upper ends of the said sides through which lower portions ofthe suspension members 43 and 44 pass as well as through the lateraledge portions of. the plate 45, under which plate the various legs havenuts 50 threaded thereon against the bottom ofthe said plate. The bightportion 5| of the suspension members bear swingably on the lateral armsl3 of the swing supports 8. Footrests 45' are secured to depend from thefore-- part of the seat plates 45.

Extending horizontally between the respective pairs of swing supportsare the upper and lower cross members 52 and 53 which have T-flttings 54at their laterally outward and with the tubular cross head thereofslidably receiving the swing support standards 1, l or 8, 8,'set screws55 being provided in the said fittings for locking the cross members inplace.

type firmly secured on the top. of the seesaw board, with foot rests 58and 59 located longitudinally inwardly of the seesaw seats and attachedlike brackets to the lateral edges of the seesaw board as indicated bythe respective numerals Bi! and BI. Longitudinally inwardly of one ofthe seesaw seats there is pivoted to the lateral edge of the seesawboard as indicated by the numeral 62, a lever 63 which has pivoted toits lower end as indicated by the numeral 64 one end of a connecting rod65 which is pivoted at its other end as indicated by the numeral 66 to acollar which is suitably secured in place on the upper part ofthedepending members 29 of the middle member 2|, this lever being soarranged that the occupant of the seesaw seat 51 may by rocking thelever 03 cause operation of the swings inconjunction with and insynchronismwith the seeing on said cross bar, means holding the and saidmiddle member operate in unison, said upper part of the middle membercomprising a cross bar, a seesaw board having its center restseesawboard in place on said crossbar. a 3. A device of the characterdescribed compris ing a base; pairs of swing supports rising fromopposite end portions of said base, laterally outwardly-projecting swingarms on the upper part of said swing supports, individual swingssuspended from said swing arms, a middle member saw board 25, or at hisoption position the said lever so that the seesaw board may be operatedindependent of the swings.

Rope handles 68 depending from the seesaw board near the swing seatsenable the occupants thereof to start the swing going.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be definitely understood that I .do not desire tolimit the application of my invention thereto, and any change or.changes may be made in the structure and arrangement of the parts, andin the materials employed, within the spirit of the invention and thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the 'character described comprising a base, pairs ofswing supports rising from opposite end portions of said base, laterallyoutwardly projecting swing arms on the upper part of said swingsupports, individual swings suspended from said swing arms, a middlemember located between said pairs of swing supports, means supportablyand swingably engaging the upper .part of said middle member andextendin between the upper ends 01! the respective swing supports andsaid middle member, and pairs oi connecting rods pivotally connected attheir ion.- gitudinally inward ends to the lower part of said middlemember and at their longitudinally out-f ward ends to the respectiveindividual swings, whereby said individual swings and said middle memberoperate in unison.

2. A device of the character described comlocated between said pairs ofswing supports,

means supportably and swingably engaging the upper part of said middlemember and extending between the upper ends of the respective swing Isupports and said middle member, and pairs of, connecting rods pivotallyconnected at their longitudinally inward ends to the lower part of saidmiddle. member and at their longitudinaily outward ends to therespective individual swings, whereby said individual swings and saidmiddle 'member operate in unison, said upper part of the middle membercomprising a cross bar, seesaw board having its center resting on saidcross bar,

means holding the seesaw board in place on said wardly projecting swingarms on the upper part of said swing supports, individual swingssuspended from said swing arms, a middle member located between saidpairs of swing 'supports,

means supportably and swingably-engaging the upper part of said middlemember and extending between the upper ends of the respective swingsupports and said middle member, and

pairs of connecting'rods pivotally connected at their longitudinallyinward ends to the lower part of said middle member and at theirlongitudinally outward ends .to the respective individual swings,whereby said individual swings and prising a base, pairs of swingsupports rising their longitudinally inward ends to the lower part ofsaid middle member and at their longitudinally outward ends to therespective individual swings, whereby said individual swings said middlemember operate in unison, a seesaw board-rockably mounted on said middlemember, a lever pivoted between its ends adjacent one end of said seesawboard, a connecting rod pivotally connected to one end of said lever andto a portion of said middle member below said seesaw board, said leverbeing arranged to be positioned and held by an occupant of thecorresponding end of said seesaw board to produce operation in unison ofsaid swings and said seesaw board.

5. A device of the character describedsaid devicecomprising a pair ofspaced standards, a pair of laterally spaced longitudinal supportmembers extending between and connected rigidly to the upper part ofsaid standards, bracket means mounted at the approximate longitudinalmiddle of said longitudinal. support members, an inverted U-shapedvertically disposed middle member comprising a horizontal cross barturning in said bracket means and legs depending from spaced pointsalong said cross bar, laterally outwardly extending swing-supportingarms on the opposite sides of the upper part of said standards, a swingdepending swingably from each; of said arms, a connecting rod for eachswing, said connecting rod being pivoted at its longitudinally outwardend to the swing and at its longitudinally inward end to the lower endof the adjacent one 01 said legs of said middle member, whereby of saidseesaw board relative to said cross bar, a start and stop lever pivotedto said seesaw board adjacent one end thereof, and a rigid rod pivotallyconnected to a free end of said lever and to a leg of said middle memberenabling the occupant of the said end of the'seesaw board to cause theseesaw board to be operated in unison with and by operation of theswings or to permit the seesaw board to be operated or renderedinoperative in- 1 dependently of the swings.

JESSE JAMES CARTER.

